{"id":19221,"date":"2018-09-18T10:00:33","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T14:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonsoccer.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=19221"},"modified":"2018-09-18T03:30:20","modified_gmt":"2018-09-18T07:30:20","slug":"anthony-hudson-process-not-results-colorado-rapids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/soccer\/2018\/09\/18\/anthony-hudson-process-not-results-colorado-rapids\/","title":{"rendered":"Asking the right questions: Anthony Hudson focused on the process, not results"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editorial (September 18, 2018)<\/strong> – The Colorado Rapids<\/a> lost to Atlanta United FC<\/a> over the weekend, by a score of 3-0<\/a>. The Rapids remained aggressive under head coach Anthony Hudson’s direction despite having distinct weaknesses<\/a> that Atlanta exploited effortlessly. Combined with other results, the Rapids have been eliminated from playoff contention.<\/p>\n

Asking the right questions of the Colorado Rapids and Anthony Hudson’s process<\/h1>\n

Hudson wanted<\/a> his team to press high up the field and possess the ball. He chose to take the game to the opponent with the idyllic style he envisions them succeeding with under his guidance.<\/p>\n

Trying to play a big game against a big club:<\/h3>\n

They did this with a forward pairing that didn’t trouble Atlanta’s three-man backline. Sam Nicholson was returning from a back injury<\/a> and Giles Barnes wasn’t effective<\/a>. With no threat up top, Atlanta pushed their backline high, moving up the point of confrontation. Colorado’s four-man midfield battled to control but Atlanta had a numbers\u00a0advantage and was better in many aspects of the game.<\/p>\n

Edgar Castillo and Marlon Hairston lost their battles on the wings. The stars for Atlanta took advantage of the space between the lines and a defense that’s been vulnerable all season was its usual self.<\/p>\n

One of my rules for identifying superiority in sports is in the question “what do a team do better than everyone else?” Greatness isn’t always<\/a> defined by being good at one particular skill. Sometimes it’s being the best in every aspect of the game by a small margin. It’s a million small details, not one big thing.<\/p>\n

France won the World Cup not because they did one distinct thing the best. They won because they were 10% better than their opponents in every facet of the game. On Saturday afternoon, Atlanta United weren’t just faster or more technical or more organized than the Rapids.<\/p>\n

They were better at all three of those things (and many others) and that collectively added up to a 3-0 win.<\/p>\n

Anthony Hudson took the Herb Brooks approach<\/a> to the game. He tried to beat Atlanta by going for it, trying to beat them at their own game, bravely yet unsuccessfully. He went to war with the army he had and asked them to do something they are poor at, something he eventually wants Colorado to be great at.<\/p>\n

Growth and learning shrouded in losing?<\/h3>\n

As I’ve written about previously<\/a>, Hudson’s focused on the process more than results at times. Saturday was a process game. The Rapids were effectively out of playoff contention by July. At this point in the season, playing for results is folly. Playing for improvements going into next year is really what will make the difference.<\/p>\n

Those two things don’t always overlap. Hudson could have had his team bunker against Atlanta and taken several chapters<\/a> out of Pablo Mastroeni coaching theory reference text. But that’s not what Hudson was hired to turn the Rapids into<\/a>. It’s not what he aspires them to be. There is an argument<\/a> for measuring progress in improvements in methodology rather than immediate results.<\/p>\n

So the Rapids went for it and got burned. The Internet mocked them<\/a> yet again over an unflattering scoreline while fans lamented another defeat, some complaining for drastic changes.<\/p>\n

It doesn’t really matter if the Rapids win or lose games at this point. It hasn’t mattered for at least two months. They’re in a bad place. They need to get out. What matters is that they’re moving.<\/p>\n

Longterm course vs. existing limitations and restless natives:<\/h3>\n

As Billy Beane put it in Money Ball<\/a>, “I don’t think we’re asking the right question. I think the question we should be asking is ‘do you believe in this thing or not?'”<\/p>\n